Tag: #learning

April 13, 2018  28 Nisan, 5778

TONIGHT IS FOURTEEN DAYS, WHICH IS TWO WEEKS, OF THE OMER

My response when people ask me what kind of Jew I am is, “I’m a mutt!” While I worked in a (mostly) Reform (but also Conservative) congregation, I sent my kids to Solomon Schechter day school, a hallmark of the Conservative movement. Growing up, I went to an Orthodox day school and attended a Reconstructionist synagogue on the Upper West Side. A large dose of Reform, a healthy heaping of Orthodox, a few cups of Conservative and a dash of Reconstructionist – you can see why “mutt” seems like the right answer.

At the end of the day, I don’t believe my denomination of Judaism matters. As an adult, my idea of being Jewish is to pull from all of these traditions in order to make a Judaism that is personal, relevant, and meaningful to my family and me. This often entails creating my own version of things.

Judaism is not just about following the rules in an old set of books. It is about helping us answer the most fundamental questions about our lives, and we are entitled to draw on every part of our rich tradition to do so.

Pamela Barkley

April 14, 2018  29 Nisan, 5778

TONIGHT IS FIFTEEN DAYS, WHICH IS TWO WEEKS AND ONE DAY, OF THE OMER

*We are posting this response today, so you do not have to use your computer/phone on Shabbat.

It offers a sense of belonging.  To be part of a group of people with very much in common.

NEIL B.

April 6, 2018  21 Nisan, 5778

TODAY IS SEVEN DAYS, WHICH IS ONE WEEK, OF THE OMER

Being Jewish for me is about blessings—not only for milestones but during each and every day. We are blessed to connect to those we love, and to people we have yet to befriend. We are blessed to find identity and purpose and to be able to rally resources to meet challenges. We are blessed to learn.   We are certainly blessed to be part of a rich tradition and to be able to expand upon that tradition to make it meaningful.

I recognize the blessings of celebration: the seasonal cycle of holidays and the weekly joy of Shabbat. And I marvel at raising our family in a community that feels like family: Temple Beth Abraham, a huge blessing in our lives.

Jennifer Povman

April 7, 2018  22 Nisan, 5778

TODAY IS EIGHT DAYS, WHICH IS ONE WEEK AND ONE DAY, OF THE OMER

*We are posting this response today, so you do not have to use your computer/phone on Shabbat.

It’s hard to put into words exactly what being Jewish means to me. It’s a feeling I can’t quite describe. I will say it means being part of a family and community. It means carrying on traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. It means friendship and love. It means holidays – and food. It means being able to share with my children something that is so special and important to me. And it makes me proud.

Andrea W.

April 4, 2018  19 Nisan, 5778

TODAY IS FIVE DAYS OF THE OMER